[net.followup] The wheels of Justice turn slow, but

pvl@houxh.UUCP (08/17/83)

was released without charges.  I still didn't hear if the kids got
charged with anything.
  Pete LaMaster BTL HO, NJ

kfl@5941ux.UUCP (08/17/83)

I heard this story on the news, too (about the
visitor to New York City who pulls a gun on some
muggers, then gets arrested when the muggers tell
the police they are being harassed by this lady with
a gun).  The version I heard (on WCBS) had a few
more details.  (1)  The muggers were all arrested,
too, and face much stiffer penalties.  (2) The
woman's gun was not loaded.  (3) She had an Alabama
registration for the gun, but that is not valid in
New York.  (4) She was released on her own
recognizance with no bail (very unusual for out of
state residents).  (5) She will most likely receive
a slap-on-the-wrist citation for posession of an
unregistered handgun (similar to a traffic citation)
or no penalty at all.

Ken Lee
5941ux!kfl

halle1@houxz.UUCP (08/17/83)

In today's news, it was reported that the charges were dropped.  The judge
said that it was a technical violation but no moral crime was committed.
However the gun was retained.  $500 was collected back home to buy her a new
gun.  By the way, her home town sheriff told her to take the gun.

ss@rabbit.UUCP (08/17/83)

Well, the lady got off after about two minutes in front of a judge and
a little time before a jury. She dropped all charges against her would
be muggers though. BTW she received a prize of $500.00 from some gun-
toting association and a replacement for her pistol, which had been
seized by the police.

Sharad Singhal.
 ..!rabbit!ss

halle1@houxz.UUCP (08/17/83)

She said they really didn't attack her but she was sure they would and that
she was intimidated by them.  Four were released, two were held on knife
possession, and two juviniles were held.

pwh@gatech.UUCP (08/17/83)

Yes, they do indeed turn slowly. I'm interested in what charges will be
brought against this poor woman. Fortunately, i understand that the youths
(including the one who reported the woman's weapon) are facing charges as
well. I'm also sure that any jury or judge will let the woman off (especially
since the pistol wasn't loaded!). Still, it's *good* to know that such
things will finally be resolved in a courtroom -- the court system being
as underutilized as it is.

Tongue-in-cheek,

phil hutto

sef@druxu.UUCP (08/18/83)

Where are all the liberals on this net yelling "GUN CONTROL"?

			Scott Farleigh
			AT&TIS Denver

ber@gummo.UUCP () (08/18/83)

I wonder what my sentence would be if I were in that woman's situation?
I guess that's the difference between truth and justice.

		30 yr old male caucassian

sef@druxu.UUCP (08/29/83)

In reply to Mr. Preece's comment.

"It doesn't matter that the little old lady in question probably
saved herself from physical harm, if not death, from these up-
standing young gentlemen."  HEY!  How about thinking of the victim
for once.  I'm getting sick and tired of hearing all the bleeding
heart liberal garbage of protecting the criminals rights.  Some-
where the rights of the victims have been forgotten.

I am not saying that we should all go back to the days of the Old
West and carry our Colt 45's, however let us not make the victim of
a mugging, robbery, etc., a second victim just because they
protected themselves from a crime.

			Scott E. Farleigh
			ATTIS Denver

p.s. Please send mail to /dev/null.

mbr@fortune.UUCP (Mark Rosenthal) (08/29/83)

What do you mean "again"?

rcj@burl.UUCP (08/30/83)

There was a case not too long ago in the U.S. of a man who was shot
5 times in the face with a .22 caliber pistol, and still managed to
chase down and throttled his assailant to death.  He was taken to
the hospital and lived, only to be charged with murder because
[paraphrasing] "defendant had his attacker clearly under control and
could have kept him imobilized until police arrived".  If I am not
mistaken, the case was thrown out or at least the guy was found
innocent; but just the thought of a charge like that getting to
court scares the #@@%$ out of me!

*shudder*
-- 

The MAD Programmer -- 919-228-3814 (Cornet 291)
alias: Curtis Jackson	...![ floyd sb1 mhuxv ]!burl!rcj

weh@druny.UUCP (08/31/83)

	I don't know if any of you heard about it (it made the network
news), but a while back in Denver, a man shot his wife 5 times in the face,
killing her. He was originally sentenced to two years work-release (he
would keep on working, but spend his nights in jail...big deal!).
	The circumstances were that his wife had moved out earlier because
he beat her (verified by social workers involved), and was coming back to
get something. When she showed up, he saw her coming and blew her away
on the spot. The judge gave the light sentence, saying that she
"provoked" him to shoot by not telling him she was leaving to avoid further
beatings.
	Everyone on up to Governer Lamm lambasted the judge, who finally
called the man back into court and resentenced him to 4 years in jail.
This man, as described by Gov. Lamm, "got away with murder".
	I don't know how the judges are in other cities, but this is not an
isolated case in Denver. We've had people who have sexually assualted
multiple children, only to receive 2 days and a short probation. Our
only hope is that everyone remembers who those judges are come election
day and we're asked if they should be retained...but who reminds us of
their records?

sysred@psuvax.UUCP (08/31/83)

In reference to "punishments fitting the crime", I just read
in TIME about a defendant forced to pay a burglar $75,000
after shooting the burglar in the foot during a $150 burgle.
It seems the court decided that "crippling" the burglar for
life was too strong a response to recover $150 worth of
belongings - hence the $75,000 "punishment".  TIME
says that during the trial, testimony was given that,
during a robbery subsequent to the "crippling", the burglar
was able to walk more than a mile.

-- 
					Ralph Droms
					Computer Science Department
					The Pennsylvania State University

cozadde@trsvax.UUCP (09/16/83)

#R:hou5a:-38700:trsvax:52700006:000:794
trsvax!cozadde    Aug 18 10:45:00 1983



	Update: This morning, 18 Aug 83, I read the N.Y. police department
	has dropped the concealled weapons charge against the lady.  Appar-
	ently, the police department felt they had proved their point con-
	cerning the letter of the law, and now can show they are not the
	idiots the media wishes to protray them.  The police must obey the
	law as any citizen does.  It is up to the city's legal system to
	judge what to do with a law breaker and the woman was breaking the
	law by carrying a concealled, and unlicensed weapon.  This concept
	of the law must be applied to all people; from the President, to
	other police officers and to little old ladies defending themselves.

					lt. of marines
					...microsoft!trsvax!cozadde
					...laidbak!trsvax!cozadde
					...ctvax!trsvax!cozadde